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re: Better to have water dripping or turn off main and drain.
Posted on 12/19/22 at 12:19 pm to GREENHEAD22
Posted on 12/19/22 at 12:19 pm to GREENHEAD22
Why do I need to do this in Louisiana for 19 degrees?
It wasn’t a problem in Chicago when it was -22 degrees and the house we lived in there was much more sloppily built than the one we live in down here.
It wasn’t a problem in Chicago when it was -22 degrees and the house we lived in there was much more sloppily built than the one we live in down here.
1
Posted on 12/19/22 at 12:22 pm to Chucktown_Badger
quote:
but then my dad would also blow through the pipes to get the rest of it. Never had a problem
Again, that's the key to this and it does work if you take this step.
Posted on 12/19/22 at 12:23 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:
People who don't do anything are going to have a bad Christmas
Sounds like this should be the consensus….drip vs shut off at main seems debatable but either is better than doing nothing right?
Posted on 12/19/22 at 12:32 pm to GREENHEAD22
During that big freeze a couple of years ago I had to be out of state for work. I left everything dripping vigorously, more than a really slow drip.
When I returned, it had worked. The water was still dripping, but the drains had frozen. Everything overflowed, and there were sheets of ice all over the floors. It was a small disaster. The power/heat went out.
I’ll never drip again when it is supposed to freeze unless I’m home.
When I returned, it had worked. The water was still dripping, but the drains had frozen. Everything overflowed, and there were sheets of ice all over the floors. It was a small disaster. The power/heat went out.
I’ll never drip again when it is supposed to freeze unless I’m home.
Posted on 12/19/22 at 12:40 pm to dewster
quote:
Why do I need to do this in Louisiana for 19 degrees? It wasn’t a problem in Chicago when it was -22 degrees and the house we lived in there was much more sloppily built than the one we live in down here.
They don't put water heaters and pipes in unheated attics and garages in Chicago
Posted on 12/19/22 at 12:41 pm to Chad504boy
quote:im not a plumber either but I lay pipe when you're not home
worst case scenario not being home. eta: i'm not a plumber so i don't know for certain.
Posted on 12/19/22 at 12:55 pm to GREENHEAD22
Another issue is if you have a pool or a sprinkler system with a back flow preventer. Since you won't be running water to either during a freeze, turn off the backflow presenter and open the check valves to bleed off the water in the BFP and let air into the line. Leave the valves open so if any of the water underground freezes it will be able to expand without breaking the pipes.
Posted on 12/19/22 at 12:56 pm to GREENHEAD22
I drip my faucets during a freeze. My dad always turned the main off if temps dropped below 20 and we never had a burst pipe.
Posted on 12/19/22 at 5:19 pm to cheobode
Seems to be split but I went with dripping them, will probably set it at an aggressive drip/stream.
Will open all the cabinets and have the heater set to something decent.
Should you drip tye outside faucets? I have them wrapped.
Will open all the cabinets and have the heater set to something decent.
Should you drip tye outside faucets? I have them wrapped.
Posted on 12/19/22 at 5:45 pm to GREENHEAD22
I drip, but I'm home, not away. Also, due to medical issues I'm up several times during the night so I'm flushing toilets, running water in the lavatory to wash my hands, rinse my mouth, etc.
One thing I also do which is kind of silly, but I think effective depending on how long it stays below freezing is run the washing machine not long before I go to bed (then start up the drier when I'm going to sleep) and set the dishwasher to start a couple of hours later. Together with the drip and me waking up that has water flowing enough.
One thing I also do which is kind of silly, but I think effective depending on how long it stays below freezing is run the washing machine not long before I go to bed (then start up the drier when I'm going to sleep) and set the dishwasher to start a couple of hours later. Together with the drip and me waking up that has water flowing enough.
Posted on 12/19/22 at 5:46 pm to GREENHEAD22
I always thought one of the main purposes of dripping was to constantly be introducing water at roughly ground temp into the system.
Posted on 12/19/22 at 9:02 pm to GREENHEAD22
I never understood this when I lived in DFW. It gets cold enough every year that I was told to drip faucets at night, many times. I grew up in the northwest where it got significantly colder and we never once opened up faucets at night. You can’t convince me that it costs significantly more money to put whatever PVC we used that magically wouldn’t freeze when it got below 30 degrees. So why would a home (at least in north Texas) not use the same building code so they can stop worrying about dripping faucets and freezing pipes? And the hundreds of millions $ in damages that they cause every few years?
Posted on 12/19/22 at 9:09 pm to GREENHEAD22
Some plumbers are about to make bank
Posted on 12/19/22 at 9:59 pm to YipSkiddlyDooo
quote:
DFW. It gets cold enough every year that I was told to drip faucets at night, many times. I grew up in the northwest where it got significantly colder and we never once opened up faucets at night.
Yes but don't you think building codes, especially insulation standards, are different in DFW than they are in colder climates?
Posted on 12/19/22 at 10:07 pm to Oates Mustache
quote:
Flushing involves blowing out the excess water. You can't just leave it sitting in the pipes. Lots of water sits in those pipes even after you turn all the faucets off.
Yes.
I'm laughing at all the southern experts on frozen pipes.
And what is this "drip" shite? Leaving it flowing about a pencil width and it won't freeze unless it gets wayyyy below freezing on an exposed pipe.
You need one of these, and an air compressor, to blow out the lines;
This post was edited on 12/19/22 at 10:30 pm
Posted on 12/19/22 at 10:14 pm to Chucktown_Badger
quote:
When we would leave our cottage in northern Wisconsin in the winter, we'd open the faucets, turn off the main, drain the natural pressure, but then my dad would also blow through the pipes to get the rest of it. Never had a problem.
Bet he poured this in the water traps and toilets (and flushed them) as well.
Once saw a toilet shattered from being frozen in a cabin.
This post was edited on 12/19/22 at 10:16 pm
Posted on 12/19/22 at 10:15 pm to BuckyCheese
Pencil width noted.
Leave the outside faucets running as well?
Seeing it will be anywhere from 15-18 at the coldest.
Leave the outside faucets running as well?
Seeing it will be anywhere from 15-18 at the coldest.
This post was edited on 12/19/22 at 10:17 pm
Posted on 12/19/22 at 10:15 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:
But if the faucets are open, there is a path for the ice to flow
This is correct. The ice can expand longitudinally. Pressure will not build up to crack pipes
Posted on 12/19/22 at 10:17 pm to GREENHEAD22
Turn off main and drain
Posted on 12/19/22 at 10:18 pm to GREENHEAD22
quote:
Leave the outside faucets running as well?
Those generally have their own shut off valve with a built in drain. Up north here anyway.
I shut those off and drain in the winter generally.
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